Health Care Leaders Convene in Colorado to Discuss Recommended Actions to Solve Nation’s Primary Care Crisis

Aurora, CO (January 6, 2017) – Mounting pressures, including more than 50 percent of Americans with a chronic condition and many with multiple illnesses, are rendering the nation’s primary care system inadequate to meet the population’s needs. On January 12 in Aurora, healthcare and community leaders will gather for the second of a series of regional critical conversations to share actionable recommendations on the pivotal role the nation’s 3.7 registered nurses (RNs) can play in alleviating the pressures on primary care.

Co-hosted by the American Academy of Nursing and the University of Colorado College of Nursing, “Regional Conversation: Role of the RN in Primary Care” will feature two panels of experts and an audience comprised of healthcare and community leaders. The discussion will center on recommendations generated by leaders in nursing, primary care, healthcare delivery, philanthropy, social work, government, and academia who participated in the Josiah Macy Jr. Foundation (http://macyfoundation.org/) Conference on Preparing Registered Nurses for Enhanced Roles in Primary Care. (Read the Conference's recommendations here: http://macyfoundation.org/docs/macy_pubs/2016_Conference_Summary_FINAL.pdf .)  At the Aurora event, leaders will discuss practical solutions for moving these recommendations forward, and highlight replicable models of nursing education and practice that enhance RNs role as partners in delivering primary care. 

“Over the course of several decades, the core of nursing has shifted from primary care in communities to acute care in hospitals. But the current need for primary care is greater than ever,” said American Academy of Nursing President Bobbie Berkowitz, PhD, RN, NEA-BC, FAAN. “These recommendations are critical for leaders of nursing schools, primary care practices and health systems. We must make changes in all of these settings if RNs are to be part of the solution to our primary care crisis.”

“We are honored to partner with the American Academy of Nursing in convening regional stakeholders to discuss the role of the RN in primary care,” said Amy Barton, professor and associate dean for clinical and community affairs, University of Colorado College of Nursing. “It is important for leaders from health systems, payers, and academia to engage in dialogue about an enhanced role for RNs in primary care, as well as the education required to make this vision a reality.”

“The forward momentum in primary care means we are moving in the right direction, toward higher value care that is focused on improving the health of the public,” said Macy Foundation President George Thibault, MD. “But we have a long way to go. We simply can’t meet the primary care needs of the nation unless registered nurses are part of the solution, and we must prepare them appropriately and then use them for this role.”

The January 12 event will begin at 8:30 a.m. at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Fulginiti Pavilion, 13080 E. 19th Ave., Aurora, CO. Panelists will include:

Panel 1: Registered Nurses - Partners in Transforming Primary Care (The Macy Recommendations)

Moderator: Amy Barton, PhD, RN, FAAN, Professor & Associate Dean, University of Colorado, College of Nursing

Panelists:
•       Thomas Sinsky, MD, Internal Medicine, Medical Associates Clinic, Dubuque, IA.
•       Jack Needleman, PhD, Professor and Chair, Department of Health Policy and Management, UCLA Fielding School of Public Health
•       Malia Davis, MSN, RN, Director of Nursing Services and Clinical Team Development, Clinical Family Health, Lafayette, CO  

Panel 2: Behavioral Health Integration in Primary Care
Moderator: Pamela Johnson, PhD, Assistant Professor & Executive Director, University of Colorado, College of Nursing Faculty Practice Plan

Panelists:
•       Benjamin Miller, PsyD, Assistant Professor, Director, Office of Integrated Healthcare Research and Policy,  University of Colorado, School of Medicine
•       Perry Dickinson, MD, Professor, University of Colorado, School of Medicine
•       Amy Barton, PhD, RN, FAAN, Professor & Associate Dean, University of Colorado, College of Nursing